My hand with the World Cup in Milan.
I "met" the Cup 2 times, as Italy won it 2 times since I was born. I'm quite lucky :)
The Cup was sent from Paderno Dugnano (Milan, they also make the Champions League trophy) to South Africa.
The World Cup is a gold trophy created by Silvio Gazzaniga, born 23 January 1921 (almost 90 years old), a sculptor from Milan, Italy, while working for the Stabilimento Artistico Bertoni company. Gazzaniga was a graduate of the Brera Academy (Milan centre), as his daughter, Gabriella, and Silvio is a fan of AC Milan, the best team in history.
The trophy stands 36.5 centimetres (14.4 inches) tall and is made of 5 kg (11 lb) of 18 carat (75%) solid gold with a base (13 centimetres [5.1 inches] in diameter) containing two layers of malachite. It has been asserted that the trophy is likely to be hollow due to the high density of gold and that, if solid, it would weigh in the region of 70-80 kg. Produced by Bertoni, Milano, it weighs 6.175 kg (13.6 lb) in total and depicts two human figures holding up the Earth. Gazzaniga described the trophy thus, "The lines spring out from the base, rising in spirals, stretching out to receive the world. From the remarkable dynamic tensions of the compact body of the sculpture rise the figures of two athletes at the stirring moment of victory."
"My inspiration for the design came from two basic elements – the athlete and the world. I had it in my mind to create something that symbolised effort and exertion, while at the same time expressing harmony, simplicity and peace. The silhouette had to be linear, in order that the observer's attention would be drawn to the protagonist, that is to say, the footballer; a man who, at the moment of victory, would take on the aspect of a giant, without appearing superhuman. He had to be a hero, but a hero with the qualities of someone who has worked hard and suffered, who his fellow humans will identify with every day in life and whose arms, which seem to embrace the entire world, are the embodiment of the universality of sport. Were someone to give me this task again, I would only make minor changes to my original concept. These days, more importance is placed on what is on the outside rather than what is on the inside", said Gazzaniga regretfully. "The fact that my trophy has weathered many trends bears witness to the fact that I allowed myself to be inspired by principles that are not eroded by the passing of time."
The trophy has the visible engravement "FIFA World Cup" in outpouring letters at its base. The name of the country whose national team wins each tournament is engraved in the bottom side of the trophy, and therefore is not visible when the trophy is standing upright. The text states the year in figures and the name of winning nation in English, for example "— 1982 Italy". As of 2006 nine winners have been engraved on the base, it is not known whether FIFA will retire the trophy after all of the name plaques at the base are filled in; this will not occur until after the 2038 World Cup at the earliest. FIFA's regulations now state that the trophy, cannot be won outright: the winners of the tournament receive a replica which is gold plated rather than solid gold.
The current holder of the trophy is Italy, winner of the last (2006) World Cup.
Gazzaniga has also since designed the UEFA Cup trophy, the UEFA Super Cup trophy. the UEFA Under-21 European Championship trophy, etc.
I "met" the Cup 2 times, as Italy won it 2 times since I was born. I'm quite lucky :)
The Cup was sent from Paderno Dugnano (Milan, they also make the Champions League trophy) to South Africa.
The World Cup is a gold trophy created by Silvio Gazzaniga, born 23 January 1921 (almost 90 years old), a sculptor from Milan, Italy, while working for the Stabilimento Artistico Bertoni company. Gazzaniga was a graduate of the Brera Academy (Milan centre), as his daughter, Gabriella, and Silvio is a fan of AC Milan, the best team in history.
The trophy stands 36.5 centimetres (14.4 inches) tall and is made of 5 kg (11 lb) of 18 carat (75%) solid gold with a base (13 centimetres [5.1 inches] in diameter) containing two layers of malachite. It has been asserted that the trophy is likely to be hollow due to the high density of gold and that, if solid, it would weigh in the region of 70-80 kg. Produced by Bertoni, Milano, it weighs 6.175 kg (13.6 lb) in total and depicts two human figures holding up the Earth. Gazzaniga described the trophy thus, "The lines spring out from the base, rising in spirals, stretching out to receive the world. From the remarkable dynamic tensions of the compact body of the sculpture rise the figures of two athletes at the stirring moment of victory."
"My inspiration for the design came from two basic elements – the athlete and the world. I had it in my mind to create something that symbolised effort and exertion, while at the same time expressing harmony, simplicity and peace. The silhouette had to be linear, in order that the observer's attention would be drawn to the protagonist, that is to say, the footballer; a man who, at the moment of victory, would take on the aspect of a giant, without appearing superhuman. He had to be a hero, but a hero with the qualities of someone who has worked hard and suffered, who his fellow humans will identify with every day in life and whose arms, which seem to embrace the entire world, are the embodiment of the universality of sport. Were someone to give me this task again, I would only make minor changes to my original concept. These days, more importance is placed on what is on the outside rather than what is on the inside", said Gazzaniga regretfully. "The fact that my trophy has weathered many trends bears witness to the fact that I allowed myself to be inspired by principles that are not eroded by the passing of time."
The trophy has the visible engravement "FIFA World Cup" in outpouring letters at its base. The name of the country whose national team wins each tournament is engraved in the bottom side of the trophy, and therefore is not visible when the trophy is standing upright. The text states the year in figures and the name of winning nation in English, for example "— 1982 Italy". As of 2006 nine winners have been engraved on the base, it is not known whether FIFA will retire the trophy after all of the name plaques at the base are filled in; this will not occur until after the 2038 World Cup at the earliest. FIFA's regulations now state that the trophy, cannot be won outright: the winners of the tournament receive a replica which is gold plated rather than solid gold.
The current holder of the trophy is Italy, winner of the last (2006) World Cup.
Gazzaniga has also since designed the UEFA Cup trophy, the UEFA Super Cup trophy. the UEFA Under-21 European Championship trophy, etc.
it's said that he likes to stay on his own...
"To the intellectually gifted man, solitude gives 2 advantages: first of all, being with himself, and besides, not being with other people.
Solitude is the destiny of all the great minds: an always deplored destiny, but chosen as the lesser of two evils"
(translated from Schopenhauer)
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